Puzzle of the soul untangled by explosion

Summary:

Chapter Text

For Bond there was before and after M. Before M was a time of peace for his mind and soul. A time when he had been sure of his place in his universe and where his very being had been in accord with the rest of him. He knew what his place was, he knew where he belonged, and he knew what he had wanted out of his life. It had been a chaotic structure that had made so much sense to him that, now that the chaos was wrecking his control, he only just realized how little control he had had. M had been the one with the control, the one who could pull him out of his head and into reality...now it was simply too late to try and understand how she had been able to do so.

After M was a chaos that should only been found in hell, a chaos that left nothing for his mind to cling to. It was a white emptiness that devoured his sanity as each day passed slowly without any fixed point to hold unto before drowning. After was misery and pain that he hid behind a cold mask of indifference. He had cried once as he had held the woman who had been his world in his arms, but now the tears couldn't come forth. There was nothing to allow his feeling to flood through his mind; he was the monster in the shadows only waiting for the time he would be allowed to destroy the world.

His gaze had been fixed on the wall, not really seeing the repetitive patterns of white on white that covered the wall in front of him. He was lost in his own thoughts, his mind far away, while his body stayed on high alert, ready to strike in case of attack. An attack that was quite unlikely to happen in the middle of MI6, but a double-0 was always ready. A small movement at his waist had his focus turn toward the second reason for an unlikely attack. Sharp grey eyes turned to him looking at him in worry. The gigantic black wolf sprawled on the sofa next to him, with his head on his lap, whined a little, asking for attention that Bond happily gave. Caressing the wolf’s ears between his fingers, the agent felt himself settle a little, but only a little at the small contact.

"I'm all right." The wolf gave a little snort, clearly not believing him, but settled himself more comfortably, stretching his long body. This had been another problem after M. Before, Alec had been able to spend much more time in his human skin, but since her death the wolf was very rarely in human form. It caused chaos all across MI6 every time the gigantic black wolf, with his white sharp teeth and his sharp, deadly grey eyes, decided to go for a walk. Especially if Bond wasn't at his side to warned people off. Bond, for his part, hadn't wornhis wolf skin for as long as Alec had worn his human skin. It was the difference in being born as human or wolf. As 007 wasmore comfortable as a man, Alec was more comfortable as a wolf.

Then there was the little fact that since both agents needed each other for their own sanity, the only missions they had been assigned to had always been together. Which also meant that they had been on fewer missions than they usually would have. That little fact made both man extremely dangerous, as it meant that they had too much energy coursing through them asking for release that they couldn't get without being apart from each other. So they trained, they ran, they spent most oftheir day in the shooting range - anything to keep their minds away from the fact that they were both slipping into insanity with each passing day. They both knew what would happen to them the moment they slipped, the moment the darkness living in them was released. They would die.

Not right away, no, because putting down the two most dangerous agents of MI6 would never be an easy task. They would be hunted, they would be tracked, and they would leave so much destruction behind them that the world would burn down with them. They weren't even sure if the new M knew the time bomb he had roaming his corridors...probably not. If he knew just how close the two man were from slipping, he would have ordered their deaths the moment he had replaced M as head of MI6.

As the wolf tensed and rolled to hide his belly next to him, Bond knew they would soon have company. His hearing wasn't as good as Alec’s in his wolf skin, but he soon heard the soft sound of light feet hitting the floor and moving toward them. He already knew it would be another double-0, as no mundane would dare approach a room filled with not one but two werewolves. His assumption was confirmed as 004 entered, a little smile on her face. She was by far the smallest of all the double-0’s, with her huge eyes the color of grass, her light brown hair and small pointed ears poking through her enormous curls. She gave a little nod in their direction, a littlecryptic smile playing on her lips, but knowing better than to move too close. The little fae moved like her feet never touched the ground, her small frame gliding across the room as she made herself a coffee. Bond and Alec looked on as she added a truly disturbing amount of sugar to the drink, so much so that the double-0’s doubted very much that the content of the mug was even still liquid. Still not approaching them, 004 went to lean against the wall 007 had been staring at before her entrance, still looking very pleased with herself.

"Anything we can do for you, 004?" Clearly she wanted to talk or she would have simply walked out. He didn't like many of the double-0’s, but 004 was one of those rare persons who it was almost impossible to hate, which also made her an exceptionally good killer. None of her victims ever saw their end coming, always thrusting into the little fae until the blade came out to slice their throat. Pulling out a lollipop from her pocket, the small woman’s smile turned smug and she sipped at her coffee, making Alec flinch (clearly he could smell the sugar from where he was).

"We got a new Quartermaster." Alec's ears perked up at the news, his whole body turning toward the small fae in attention. Even Bond sat a little straighter. This was news, interesting news.

"What happen to the old one?" The man had been like an old Santa Claus with his round figure and white beard. If not for the fact that he had a voice filled with so much authority that an army general looked like a little schoolgirl next to him, the man would have been almost fatherly. Still, the man had been a fixture of MI6 for so long, even thinking of someone replacing him was almost impossible.

"He retired, said he didn't want to work for a bloodsucker." 004 answered sweetly, unwrapping her lollipop and humming happily (from the sugary smell that reached both agent, Bond guessed it was watermelon flavored). "He's super-young and completely adorable! He gave me a lollipop for returning all my equipment and gave 008 a new shield for the field."

Now Bond was impressed and interested. The old Q had been a mundane and had had very little patience for learning anything about the different personalities of the agents under his care. He had been an excellent Q, but wether the agent was a fae or a Valkyrie had never been a concern of his - as long as the mission was successful, then he was happy. But that this Quartermaster had given a sugar-addicted fae a lollipop as a reward and a deadly Valkyrie a new shield already showed acaring nature that had been lacking in Q-branch. "Is he a mundane?"

"I...don't know actually." 004 tilted her head to the side, her lollipop in her mouth as she drank more coffee (how the small woman could pack so much sugar in her and not die from her sugar rush would always be a mystery to them). "He doesn't smell like a mundane, but his smell is just...off."

"How so?" Bond was getting more and more interested in this new Quartermaster. Alec was also paying great attention (which meant he appeared relaxed, his whole body still lounging, but his whole attention was on the small agent, very focused). The little fae hummed softly and shrugged like she couldn't really explain it.

"He just smelled different. I don't know - I didn't ask him. I don't know much actually." Which meant she did know something and was trying to make Bond ask for more on his own. Even off the field, a double-0 stayed a double-0, and information was never easy to get out of them.

"What DO you know then?" Alec growled a little, getting annoyed with the game, but 004 seemed quite pleased at herself for having the man ask for information. Her pearly white teeth bit down on the lollipop, breaking it with a loud crunching noise that filled the room. Downing the rest of her coffee and swallowing the remains of her candy with it, she smiled smugly.

"I know he's been hired as Quartermaster because he hacked into MI6 from an Internet café and filled M's inbox with spam mail just for fun." With that she walked back to the sink and rinsed her mug before walking to the door to leave. She stopped just before leaving, her lips still turned into a smug smile as she revealed the last part. "And I know that Mama Bear said she would kill anyone who dare lay a hand on him."

Bond eyes widened slightly, the only visible sign of his surprise as 004 walked away. The last piece of information was indeed the most interesting one, although anyone who got on the new M’s nerves deserved all his respect, and from the wolfish grin Alec was giving him, the wolf agreed with him. The news that Mama Bear, the most feared shifter in all of MI6, was already so protective of the new Quartermaster was much more interesting. Looking at the wolf still lounging at his side, Bond raised his eyebrows and a rare real smile filled his lips.

"What do you say we go pay our respect to our new Quartermaster?" The gigantic wolf was already jumping down from the sofa and trotting toward the elevator before Bond was even on his feet. This would at least make for a nice distraction in an otherwise mission-less day. Pushing the button for the basement, they rode silently, an electric feeling of anticipation coursing through them.

The moment the doors opened on the Q-branch floor (very deep into the depths of MI6’s underground relocation), both agents froze. The new Quartermaster definitely wasn't a mundane. The smell that attacked both agents had them frozen on the spot. It was like the most divine fragrance Bond had ever smelled in his entire life. The first note that hit them was grassy, almost like walking in a forest still filled with morning mist. It was mysterious; he could picture the forest in his mind, filled with old trees reaching up to touch the sky, their roots enormous and plunging down into the ground, the forest floor filled with green moss for miles. The second note of the fragrance was more subtle, just a touch of something bright - if the sun would have had a smell, it would have been that. Soft but radiating its light through it all, and dangerous if you get too close to it. The last note was what had the wolf next to him panting hungrily: it was prey. Something that asked to be caught and possessed, a prey to be claimed...by them.

They moved as one, entering the heart of Q-branch, their gazes looking for their new prey with anticipation. Q-branch was mostly filled with mundanes, all of them slowly freezing as the realized that their realm had just been invaded by two werewolves on the hunt. They might not have realized that the two beasts were hunting down prey, but they could read the danger in their poses. They both looked like they were about to attack, their legs ready to run if their prey tried to escape them and ready to jump or tear through any obstacle (In this case, the obstacle would be the mundane who dared get in their way). 007 sharp-ice blue eyes travelled over the mundanes looking for their prey as Alec did the same, a soft growl coming from his throat as minutes passed and they couldn't guess which of the people before them was theirs. One of the mundanes reached for her earpiece and spoke in a shaky voice,clearly wishing she could hide under her desk.

"Quartermaster, please report to Q-branch." Her voice quivered a little as the gigantic wolf’s attention snapped to her and a small whimper exploded from her throat as she finally did slide down to hide under her desk. Everyone else stayed still, their eyes never leaving the two werewolves. A sharp voice exploded behind them and they both startled (a very small movement of shoulders for them a show of great surprise) and turned to face the man they hadn't even heard approach.

"What are you doing here, 006, 007? You are not to be sent on a mission and thusly do not need to be outfitted for a mission, so please get out!" The man standing before them was indeed very young. He had unruly curly hair that fell over his face,only stopped by his large black glasses. His sharp green eyes looked at them from head to toe (or paw, in Alec’s case),clearly unimpressed with what he was seeing. The rest of his body was covered with a very large cardigan and baggy pants, but his hands looked fragile with long white fingers, and...he was barefoot. His white feet rested fully on the ground in a challenge, saying he wouldn't run away and would protect his domain. Now that they had their prey in front of them, his smell was even more powerful, something in it calming both agents down. "Well?"

"We simply wished to introduce ourselves to our new Quartermaster," Bond replied sweetly, not wanting to leave just yet. At the Quartermaster’s raised eyebrows and snort of disbelief, he wasn't buying it or Bond charming smile.

"I've read your file, 007. You would not be here if you didn't have a mission, and although it is very nice of you to want to introduce yourself, I also doubt that you had anything but mischief in your mind when you decided to come down here."This man was definitely more interesting than a white wall. Bond took a step toward the smaller man, but the Quartermaster didn't move an inch. Challenge in his eyes, he even walked right into the agent’s space, making him take a step back. Both agents startled a little at that as the younger man’s voice turned cold and dangerous. His smell turned sharp like the forest was filled with snow. "Don't scare my minions."

Bond was about to reply, but one of the female minions squawked in surprise, and the Quartermaster’s attention turned to her, taking a step away from the agent. The sharp green gaze turned to the werewolf standing next to Bond, and 007 saw the younger man’s eyes bulge a little before his mask of indifference was back in place.

"And please, 006, please either find some clothes or change back. This is not a strip club." With that, the younger man turned around, walking away from them like he was sure that both agents would follow his orders and leave. Not understanding the Quartermaster’s last statement, Bond looked down to see that his friend was indeed sitting on the floor in his human skin and quite naked. Alec only just seemed to realize it himself as he looked down at himself and than looked back up at Bond with his eyes slightly wider (extremely surprised, then).

"What are you?" Alec’s voice was rough from not being used as much in the last month, since he had mostly been in his wolf skin and Bond had been doing all the talking. The Quartermaster turned, looked at them from over the computer screen he had been looking at like he couldn't believe they where still there.

With his sharp tone and a glare in his gaze, the younger man simply stare them down. His eyes travelled over 006 like he wasn't sitting naked on the floor of Q-branch and then to 007 like he was a whole new kind of nuisance that he just knew he would have to deal with sooner of later (from his expression,he would very much like for it to be later). When he finally deigned to answer the question, he had finished his work with his minion, but still took his time asking that another minion to at least find pants for the naked agent (if only to preserve the modesty of the woman of MI6) and then his voice turned tosoft a caress over their skin as the simple word filled them with hope.

Q only allowed himself to relax and breathe once the two double-0 agents finally left his territory. He had made sure his minion had found a pair of sweatpants for the naked wolf, before he had finally placed his foot down and shouted them out of Q-branch. He had seen the way the two shifters had been looking at him, like he was a prey. A look he had seen many times before, and that to him only meant danger.

Every time a shifter with the skin of a predator came close to him, Q would feel the need to submit, to bare his throat and let the predator claim him. A mistake he had only done once, but that he had paid dearly for. The very first man who had approached him with the glint of possessiveness in his eyeshad been a dashing fox shifter. The man had been charming, charmingly manipulative, knowing exactly how to push Q's button until he had had the smaller man under his control. It was only by luck, his quick reflexes, and his brain that he had escaped a permanent bond to the fox. Although, thinking of the scars that still covered his back, luck had taken its sweet time to come around. He still thought of the day he had meet the damn fox as the most unlucky day in his entire life.

Now every time he saw that glint in a predatory shifter, he knew better than to simply show his neck and let them take over him. His very being crave the dominance, wanted to simply let the predator protect and take care of him, but he now knew better. Now he knew that a predator’s only wish was to break and destroy, instead of caring for a more fragile creature. So the moment he had been faced with the two agents, his face had morphed into the glacial mask he hid behind at moments of high emotion. He wouldn't bend in front of the two agents, he wouldn't kneel for them, and he would never let them see his true form. That was another mistake he had made with the fox, showing him his animal skin, another mistake that he now wore on his skin, like a terrible reminder of his own stupidity.

"Well, that was interesting at least. I've never seen a double-0 in such a state of undress before." Since he had heard her coming into his office (even though she had tried to be as quiet as possible), Q didn't even move and simply sighed. His head was resting at the back of his plush chair in his office, which he could have sworn he had locked before moving to his desk. Opening one eye, he watched as she lounged on his hard sofa, where he had slept on most of this week nights.

"Bloody annoyance the both of them really."

She chuckled softly, looking at him with a little smile. "You've only just meet them, Q, you could have at least given them a chance."

"Eve, I've read all of there files and my suspicion have only just been confirmed. Why on earth would I have given them a chance?" There was challenge in his tone as he looked straight at the woman lazily playing with her hair. Eve simply patted the sofa next to her and he obediently went to sit next to her. She pulled him in, a little snort escaped her as she saw his barefeet, but as usual didn't comment on it, knowing full well he was more comfortable that way. Every Quartermaster of MI6 had had their little quirks and no one was about to question their new one’s quirks when he had already done such a good job turning Q-Branch around in the two months he had been there.

"Even so, sweety, you have now picked their interest, and I'm afraid picking the interest of double-0’s is a rather dangerous past-time, especially when those double-0's are 006 and 007."Snuggling against the taller woman, Q sighed, knowing full well that he had probably made a mistake by being so openly hostile toward the two agents. But their smell had made him want to roll on his back and offer his belly to their sharp teeth. He simply couldn't allow himself to look weak in front of his agents and especially not in front of those two agents.

"I'll try my best to be more civil the next time I see them, just to be sure to kill all interest they might have." Eve looked at him with raised eyebrows, because they both knew the damage had already been done. "Or I'll just avoid them until it is absolutely necessary for me to speak to them."

"Oh, yes, encourage the wolves to chase you around, that will definitely make them less interested in you, my sweet." The sarcasm was dripping on the woman’s tongue as she fluttered her eyelashes innocently at him. Poking the older woman side with his finger so she would stop looking at him with such a face, they both started laughing as a giggle escaped Eve.

"Fine then, what do you propose? That I simply roll over, let them have me, and once they’re tired of me, hope that I won'thear of them again?"

"God, no! Fight them, shoot them if you have to, but don't let yourself be caught by those two. These two are more animals then man." Humming in agreement, Q let Eve play with his curls happily. He would still stick to his plan of avoiding the two double-0-agents as long as he could, unless he was forced to face them again.

As it turned out, when two werewolves were in the mind of hunting him, avoiding them was turning into quite a game of hide and seek. In Q-branch, his scent was all over the place, so he could move freely around without either of them being able to hunt him by smell. This proved useful as he found himself tip-toeing around one or the other on more than one occasion. The first time Q spotted a black wolf stalking in between his minions’ desks, he simply slipped behind said wolf, slowly following close behind him. It was quite exhilarating to loom over the wolf as he looked for him. Q jumped on a desk and skipped away to the sound of an angry wolf growling loudly at not being able to find his prey. With Bond it was another matter altogether. Since the man stayed in his human skin, he could actually bully his minions into giving him his location. But on the other hand, Q had control over all the cameras and doors of his domain, which meant he could lock the door of whichever room Q found himself in to plan his escape before the agent could open it. It was a joy to see the agent’s confused face at only finding the Quartermaster’s clothes but never the man himself once he watch the footage hissing safely in his office.

Then there was the hunt outside of Q-Branch. Outside, they could track him down by scent, but that was something Q had happily found a ruse against. It was an exhausting one but still worth it to see the two agent trying to chase shadows around the different levels of MI6. Arriving much earlier in the morning, Q enrolled the help of 004 and Eve for his plan. Giving them both one of the cardigans he wore more, they started to walk around MI6 for hours all in different location and always as far away as possible from the actual location of Q's meeting for that specific day. It was then a game of avoiding the two agents as they tried to track his scent across MI6 as he calmly made his way around them and to his meeting. Eve had pointed out that Bond might be very bad with computer but that he could, however, still track the Quartermaster’s schedule. Q had simply shown her his schedule and she had giggled at seeing that all his appointments over MI6 showed that he was having those meetings in M's office. Since both agents hated the man quite firmly, the likeliness of them ever going on that floor where slim. So for the next weeks or so the game continued, with Q running circles around the two double-0’s, until the call he had been dreading finally came.

"Q, I'm sending 006 and 007 to Q-Branch. They are to be outfitted for their new mission, and you'll cover the coms in case of trouble." M's voice brooked no argument, and Q agreed readily, wondering how his second meeting with the double-0's would go.

Alec was getting quite frustrated with the lack of result that their hunt was providing for them. The only good thing about it all was that for once, since both werewolves hadn't been allowed to go on missions without each other, he hadn't felt any boredom. Every time the scent of their Quartermaster filled his nostrils, his entire body shivered at the idea of having the younger man finally in his grasp. But so far, except for the one time they had meet the younger man, he hadn't been allowed near him again. Oh, he would smell him all over MI6, even could feel the other being’s gaze on him every time he had tried to track him down in Q-Branch, but never once had he been able to actually catch him.

He had been quite surprised the first time he had been in the presence of the younger man to find himself in his human skin without even trying to change. Usually it was much harder for him to return to his human skin, but the smell of the smaller man had enticed him into changing without any difficulty, finding the desire to actually use his voice for once.

He spared a look to his friend standing stoically next to him. They had taken a break from hunting for the day as a call from M came to them. He only caught a little bit of the conversation, not really in the mood to suffer the bloodsucker’s voice, but the part he caught made him grin, showing off his white sharp teeth. For once, his change from wolf skin to human skin was done smoothly (which he had noted was helped by the ever present scent of their prey). Bond handed over the bag he had hidden in the room with clean clothes and waited until Alec was completely dress before they both moved toward their prey, matching predatory smiles on their lips. Normally Bond wouldn't have bothered with clothes, as Alec rarely changed into his human skin at MI6, preferring the safety of the flat they shared. But since he had found himself surrounded by the smell of his new Quartermaster almost every day, he had found it much easier to change, and sometimes even changed without noticing. So his partner had started hiding bags of clothes all over MI6, trying and most of the time failing to cover 006 in clothes before anyone could see him naked. Not that the wolf minded, he had always been more comfortable naked, he hated any kind of fabric on his skin. This was why, as they both entered Q-Branch, James wearing his usual sharply cut suit that hugged every part of his body like a second skin, Alec looked in comparison like a biker with his black combat boots, faded jeans full of holes, a tight white t-shirt and a brown leather jacket. He was the shame of the usually sharply dressed double-0-agents and absolutely adored it.

It was almost a shock to see Q standing behind his table at the center of Q-branch, two suitcases in front of him and a bored look on his face. Alec had expected that he would have to chase the man around his domain before finally being outfitted for their mission. But here he was, as if he hadn't been avoiding the two agents for the past weeks. His gaze was hard and his face was a mask of professionalism. If he was pissed at having to deal with them, it didn't show. Both agents stopped in front of the table, facing their Quartermaster, Bond with a small seductive smile on his lips and Alec with a mischievous smile promising chaos. With a sigh, the smaller man opened the first suitcase and started handing James his new toys.

"Your earpiece, that will be connected directly to mine and is also your tracking device. This mobile will help you hack into any computer and will also allow me to have access to any technology surrounding you." The earpiece was in a small black box ready to use and the phone looked like a standard one, but the fun started with the gun Q then pulled out. "This particular gun is coded to your fingerprint and DNA only, so if anyone other than you tries to use it, it will block and be useless, and...."

Alec grabbed the gun and, pointing directly at his partner’s head, tried to shoot him twice. Bond didn't even flinch, simply looking at the werewolf with a roll of his eyes. Q, for his part, stared at them like he couldn't even believe Alec had actually just tried to shot his best friend.

"Neat, do I get one, too?" The long-suffering sigh that escaped the Quartermaster was almost cute as he pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand and took the gun away from 006 with the other.

"And I am now happy that I decided at the last minute not to encode 006’s prints and DNA into your gun, 007." James and Alec both stared at the Quartermaster with slightly raised eyebrows. With a sigh once again making him look adorable, Q elaborated tiredly. "As you are always working on mission together, I had thought that being able to use your partner’s gun could be useful to you, 006, but I am now happy that I decided against it, as I would have hated to have one of the minions wash wolf brain from my floor."

There was a moment of silence and to every minion now observing them, it looked like both werewolves were about to attack their boffin until a little snort of laughter escaped Bond and Trevelyan chuckled softly. Q pushed the suitcase toward Bond so he could repack his own equipment and turned to the other, ignoring both laughing agents. He was clearly thinking that all double-0-agents were crazy. Since Alec usually got the same equipment as Bond, he was a little surprised when Q pulled out an holster - not one like he had ever seen before, armed with three glistening blades, a gun, and what looked like cherry bomb.

"As you seem to prefer moving around in a wolf skin, I have adapted your equipment to your preferences. This holster, once worn correctly, should stretch to accommodate your animal skin, so that if a change is needed you won't find yourself naked AND defenseless." Reverently holding the holster between his fingers, the agent tested the stretch of the material, marveling at its flexibility and softness. "Since your guns are allowed through customs, but it says in your files that you generally prefer knives, these blades have serial numbers that will allow you to bring them wherever you go without problems."

"They don't let me keep them on planes, even when I say it’sfor their carboard steak." Bond snorted, clearly rememberingthe particular mission where Alec had used that exact excuse for bringing a sword along.

"These three AND only these three will." Q gently pulled one of the knives out to show a row of numbers on the new and sharp blade. "Those numbers are registered in all the airports in the world and will allow you to bring them anywhere, and I really do mean anywhere, 006."

If it weren't impossible for a double-0 to use the L-word, Alec would have used it right then and there to express the emotion that was coursing through him at that precise moment. Than he remembered the cherry bomb and was almost afraid to ask.

"What about those?" Holding the little pink balls in his hand, he remembered using those in the bathroom of his orphanage once. "I remember some nice things to do with them, but nothing that would help me with terrorists."

"One of those could destroy a car. Please do use them with some sense of control if at all possible. But do use at least one, as they were built for you specifically to use and haven't been tested in the field yet." Alec looked up, startled, and a little smug smile touched the Quartermaster’s lips. "I have read all of my agents’ files, 006, and your love of explosives and fire are quite legendary. I would be a terrible Quartermaster if I wasn't giving you equipment that would allow you to use all of your strengths in the field."

The agent was struck, simply looking at the younger man with respect. He had wanted to see the man as prey, a simple thingto hunt and then discard when bored, but he couldn't seem to now. This man had actually taken the time to think on how he cold make his agents more effective in the field, had though of their preference, and had actually built equipment fitting all of them. He was also sure that the reason James’s gun was fitted to his fingerprints was because of the number of mission reports showing that 007 had been more than once shot with his own gun turned against him. He had himself written (or bullied someone to write while he narrated) in his report how many times he had been in a position of weakness as he had had to change from wolf to human without any weapon at his disposition. Peaking at the silent man next to him, Alec knew that James was thinking the exact same thing as he turned his new gun in his hand. This man standing in front of them was much more than a prey animal and had just gained, probably without even realizing it, the respect of two of MI6 most deadly double-0-agents.

"Off you go then, I'll be monitoring your every move, and my earpiece is always turned on. So do please consider this when you decide to seduce your next bedpost notch, 007, or when you turned to your canine counterpart, 006." The younger man was clearly ready for them to leave, but Alec had other plans. Moving faster than a normal human could, he jumped on top of the table, crouching so his face was leveled with Q’s, and took a handful of his cardigan, pulling him closer. "What are you...?"

His gaze fixed on the sharp, startled green eyes of his Quartermaster, he smiled slowly, unmoving until James moved around the table and was behind the smaller man, efficiently trapping him between them. Q turned his head a little when he felt Bond press himself against his back, his initial surprise turned into a glare, clearly not liking being trapped.

"Well, James, how should we thank our dear Quartermaster for those new toys?" Alec growled, keeping a firm grip on the smaller man now that he had finally caught him.

"Oh, I do have a few ideas." James murmured seductively, plastering himself to their Quartermaster’s back.

"How about you get out and leave me alone?" Q asked, his chin raised in challenge as if he wasn't trapped between two growling werewolves. The rest of Q-Branch was silent, clearly not knowing what to do to save their boss.

"But then that wouldn't be really nice, would it, James?"

"No, it wouldn't," James answered easily, looking at Alex as his chin rested on top of the Quartermaster’s head. Bond had a little smile playing on his lips as he seemed to be following Alec's lead in this. There was a fine line that should never be crossed between hunting prey and courting prey. But since the agent didn't feel like he should be hunting the smaller man and he certainly wasn't ready to simply let him go, courting was the best solution for all. Plus, if the courting was accepted, then the little green eyes’ wonder would be theirs. That thought alone had the wolf in him purring, and a dangerous smile played on his lips. Sharing a look with James, they both nodded in mutual understanding, and James took the Quartermaster’s wrist in his hand, raising it up. "So we definitely should give him something in return."

"WHAT!?!" Q startled as Alec agreed. Rapidly changing his position so he was now sitting on the table and keeping the slimmer man close by encircling his legs around both his waist and James, he pulled out his dog-tag from under his shirt. He was always wearing them, be it in wolf skin or human skin, because they were a reminder of his past life before MI6 and very close to his heart. Without looking away from the now visibly confused Quartermaster, he placed them around the white, slim neck before him and than bent over to place a chaste kiss on the exposed skin. Q tried to pull back, but he only found himself closer to James, who had taken his watch off his wrist and placed it around the Quartermaster's. The watch had been given to 007 by M and was probably the only piece of jewelry he had ever been careful never to lose. Just like Alec, he leaned over and gave a chaste kiss to the younger man’s wrist. Looking at a very confused Q, they looked at each other nodded and, taking their suitcases, moved away from the younger man as one. It wasn't until they were almost out of Q-Branch that their Quartermaster seemed to find his voice once more. "WHAT!?!"

James didn't even turn, simply continued on walking like nothing had happened, but Alec did turn, blowing a kiss toward a furious looking Q and winking at him before trotting a little faster to catch up to his partner.

"WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?!"

Alec looked at Bond as the elevator door closed. James seemed more calm and quite pleased with himself. The calm part was very welcome, and he leaned against his friend in a casual show of affection between pack-members. They had intended to only use Q as their new prey, but a brilliant green-eyed mate would be much better. He couldn't wait for the true courtship to start, and from the energy radiating from James, neither could he.